Triads (Marvel)
The Triads are a global criminal network in the Marvel Universe, often the foes of vigilante heroes. The level of organization among the Triads varies greatly, from loosely organized associations (with a degree of infighting) to highly structured groups (with a ruling council). Background The Triads started in China and existed in one form or other as secret societies in dynastic Imperial China. Mutants, vigilantes, SHIELD, and costumed superheroes have had dealings and clashes with the Triads and their affiliated Tongs and gangs. As organized crime groups, the Triads are involved a wide variety of criminal enterprises and illicit markets, including narcotics, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, gambling, contraband smuggling, protection rackets, and manufacturing counterfeit goods. Though there is usually no Triad boss of bosses, occasionally someone in the Chinese underworld rises to be the overlord of the Triads and Tongs in a specific city, region, or the world. In London, it was the White Dragon who became the Triad overload. On the Southeast Asian island of Madripoor, since the 1980s it has been the beautiful sometime lover of Wolverine, Jessan Hoan (Tyger Tiger). In the city of San Francisco during the 1st decade of the 21st century, Wolverine himself for a time was the overlord of the Tongs and then another hero, Fat Cobra became the Tong overlord. On the island known as Mandarin City it was Lord Remaker and before him the Mandarin was the overlord of the island's Triads. In the city of Hong Kong, the Mandarin was it's crime overlord and after him it was Fu Manchu's daughter, the Cursed Lotus (Fah Lo Suee). Some of the Chinese overlords of crime have established vast criminal empires. The 6,000 year old sadistic and beautiful Yi Yang ruled an empire of crime that spanned both the United States and post-Soviet Russia. Marcus Tsung a mutant with the X-gene for murder, created an empire whose tentacles extended across Russia, China, and India. NY City's own Mister Negative (a mutate with Darkforce powers) now controls an empire that stretches from the Big Apple to Shanghai in China. Jade Claw (Suwan), the daughter of the criminal mastermind and would-be world conqueror Golden Claw (Plan Chu) who had created a drug cartel big enough to supply all the addicts in the world and controlled a subterranean dominion the size of Australia. Fu Manchu, the semi-immortal super-genius criminal mastermind and would-be conqueror of the world is the only one has been the overlord of all the Triads and his criminal empire spanned the globe, with operations in every inhabited continent. Major Factions *Clan Fei of China *Black Dragon Tong of San Francisco *Lucky Few Triad of Hong Kong *Missing Sixes Triad of Hong Kong *Dragon Tong of New York City *Sydney Triad of Australia *August Dragon Clan of Canada *Wild Tiger Mob of Hong Kong *Steel Lotus Group of China *Coiled Serpent Syndicate of China *Sleeping Dragon Clan of China Triads in Alternate Realities *Dragon Fang of Taiwan. (Ultraverse) *Tong Triad of New York City. (Iron Man Adventures) Crime lords *Fu Manchu of China. *Mister Negative (superhuman) of New York City and Shanghai. *Cursed Lotus (Fah Lo Suee, daughter of Fu Manchu) of China. *Mandarin of China. *Lady Chi (superhuman) of China. *Marcus Tsung (mutant) of China. *Jade Claw (Suwan) of China. *Lord Remaker of Mandarin City. *Wild Tiger (Deng Ling-Xiao) of Hong Kong. *Yi Yang (6,000 year old immortal woman) of New York City. *Dark Tongji (sorcerer) of Hong Kong. *Tyger Tiger (Jessán Hoan) of Madripoor. *Aardwolf (Chon Li) of Madripoor *Fat Cobra (superhuman) in San Francisco. *Leiko Wu in London. *Wolverine in San Francisco. Organization Triads vary greatly in how organized they are. Some Triads are loosely organized, more like coalitions of gangs. Other Triads have a structured hierarchy, with specified ranks and perhaps even a council or a board of directors. Numerical codes that are based on Chinese numerology are assigned to members to identify what rank they have. Members of a Triad are taught the centuries-old hand signals of the Triad and undergo initiation ritual based on Daoist and Buddhist traditions / beliefs which ends with a loyalty oath. Communication among Triad members may include the use of a numbered code. The Dragonheads (Triad leaders), usually lead a public life as a businessman running some type of small business, like a small restaurant. The idea is to keep a low profile, so though the Dragonhead may be one of the most powerful men in the city or perhaps even the country, most will keep that facade of humility. *At the top of the Triad hierarchy is the Shan Chu (Lodge Master / Dragonhead - 489). He or she has very little contact, if any with the rank and file members of the Triad. Dragonheads are quasi-legitimate businessmen. *In the level below, are the "483"s. The top ranked 483 is the Fu Shan Chu (Deputy Lodge Master, the top ranked 483) who manages the day-to-day operations of the Triad. Below him are two 483s of equal rank; the Heung Chu (Incense Master) who is in charge of enforcing the traditions of the Triad, and the Sin Fung (Guardian) who is in charge of recruiting. Last is the Sheung Fa (Double Flower), whom are the ones who establish new branches of the Triad. *Below the 483's are the Triad's officers. The military commander in charge of the gangs is the Hung Kwan (Red Pole, 426). In charge of accounting is the Pak Tsz Sin (White Paper Fan, 415). The public face of the Triad who collects and pays the bribes and graft from the businesses and gangs is the Cho Hai (Grass Sandal, 425). *Last of all are the rank-n-file members, all of whom are Sze Kau (49). They are the soldiers of the Triad who provide security, act as muscle, run a business, supervise a safehouse, or work as hitmen for the Triad. Gallery Triad_Organization_(Wikipedia).png|Triad Organization (from Wikipedia - Triad (Organized Crime) Triads_(Earth-616_as_of_2018).png|Nations with Triads in Earth-616 Triads_(Wolverine,_Manifest_Destiny_Vol_1_4).png|Black Dragon Tong (Wolverine, Manifest Destiny Vol 1 4) Triads_(X-Treme_X-Men_Vol_1_5).png|Sydney Triad (X-Treme X-Men Vol 1 5) Fu_Manchu_(Shang_Chi,_Master_of_Kung_Fu_Vol_1_2).png|Fu Manchu (Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu Vol 1 2) Mister_Negative_(Web_of_Spider-Man_Vol_2_4).jpg|Mister Negative (Web of Spider-Man Vol 2 4) Mandarin_(Invincible_Iron_Man_Vol_1_511).jpg|Mandarin (Invincible Iron Man Vol 1 511) Tyger_Tiger_(All-New_Wolverine_Vol_1_16).jpg|Tyger Tiger (All-New Wolverine Vol 1 16) Jade_Claw_(Agents_of_Atlas_Vol_2_10).jpg|Jade Claw (Agents of Atlas Vol 2 10) Cursed_Lotus_(Fearless_Defenders_Vol_1_12).jpg|Cursed Lotus (Fearless Defenders Vol 1 12) Triads_(Journey_Into_Mystery_Vol_1,_516).png|Wild Tiger Mob, Drug Lab (Journey Into Mystery Vol 1, #516) Trivia *In the real world, there is a difference between a Triad and a criminal Tong. In reality the Triads are only one type of "Black Society" (the Chinese name for criminal groups), and there are a wide variety from secret societies (Triads) to corporate-like syndicates to criminal brotherhoods, and so on when it comes to organized crime within mainland China and the overseas Chinese Diaspora. It's the media and Western scholars who have used the catch all word of "Triads" to describe Chinese organized crime. Though the Triads are the biggest and richest Chinese crime syndicates, especially the "Sun Yee On" Triad of Hong Kong. *Marvel Comics, being no exception to these generalizations, has also used the word "Triad" to describe a wide variety of criminal syndicates of Chinese origin. Even going so far as to call the Tongs of San Francisco both "Triads" and "Tongs" in the comics. Marvel is using term "Triads" to describe any Chinese organized crimes in the Marvel universe and the name "Triad" and "Tong" interchangeably. 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